The Incomplete Restoration

by Robin Allan Jones

In a time when both sea levels and unemployment are rising, as we come to the end the church year and we are regaled by Luke with imagery of the End of Days, it is easy to turn one’s thoughts to the eventual demise of the human race, however that might come about. Recently, my wife and I watched a fascinating production of The History Channel titled Life After Humans. We saw it on NetFlix , and if you haven’t seen this yourself, you really ought to, because the folks at History Channel, through the magic of computer graphics, depict a marvelous world of replenished seas once again teaming with life, of lofty forests growing on the towering skeletons of skyscrapers, populated with songbirds and flying cats—something not improbable; actually there’s a lot of evidence flitting about the Internet that your common house cat contains genetic and evolutionary potential for, among other things, bipedalism, and gliding flight similar to that of flying squirrels. And of course, the rain forests and the redwoods and the chestnut trees reassert themselves, and in a few thousand years, planet earth seems to have healed itself from the short-term, self-limiting disease of infection by Homo sapiens. The air starts to clear of all the toxins and particulates, and above the skies now musical with the return of songbirds, the heavens, once again visible with stars so long masked by artificial light, sparkle in the night sky. It’s all heart-explodingly beautiful--except for one thing:

There are no humans to appreciate it.

Humility

by Martha Wakenshaw

I've been thinking a lot lately about Christianity and Psychology, especially in this season of Lent.
The prayer book talks about penitence and even our own "wretchedness." It talks about confessing our sins and keeping a contrite heart. We fall to our knees in supplication. We ask God's forgiveness. We stand corrected.
So how does this season of penitence fit in with our own self-esteem? How do we bow down and confess our sins before God and still maintain a healthy sense of self-esteem?
I believe that God has given us humility as a way around this conundrum. Humility in the sense of softening our hearts to allow the light and compassion of Jesus in. With the spirit of God internalized we come from a place of strong vulnerability and are able to confess our sins in the all loving arms of Jesus, the great forgiver.

Martha Wakenshaw is a member of St. Paul's, a writer, and a psychotherapist. Her website can be found here.